


The Healing Process

by Kaghani



Category: Avatar: Legend of Korra
Genre: Asami-centric, F/F, Metal Clan, and the airbabies, etc - Freeform, mentions of Bolin/Opal
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-11-08
Updated: 2014-11-08
Packaged: 2018-02-24 14:56:50
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,032
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2585549
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kaghani/pseuds/Kaghani
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Defeating the Red Lotus was supposed to feel like a victory. But with Korra in such a bad way, Asami and her friends don't exactly feel in the mood for (or even worthy of) celebration.</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Healing Process

**Author's Note:**

> This is Asami-centric! I mean, all the Asami feels, especially after Book 4 Ep 5!
> 
> I originally started this before I realized there would be a three-year time lapse. I intended for there to be kissing in a couple of weeks into the universe of this fic, but alas :( I did tweak it a little bit, and I'd like to make this multi chaptered. 
> 
> I own just about nothing, let alone these characters, okay.

It’s only been a couple of hours since Suyin set everyone up in a guest house in her estate, and Asami’s managed to think of a hundred ways she can knock Tonraq over the head with an airbending staff, throw him in the nearest closet, and get a private moment with Korra.

She's never been a violent person, and it's not even like Korra could talk to her. But something about sitting in this room with Tonraq and Mako as Korra unconsciously tosses and turns makes Asami's blood boil.

With a start, she wonders if she’s unconsciously spoken any of the vitriolic thoughts aloud, and glances sideways where Mako gazes down at his feet. Asami wonders if Mako’d have reacted at all if she knocked _him_ over the head with an airbending staff. And, Tonraq, of course, is too busy dabbing a wet towel at Korra’s brow to notice anything.

It’s not that Asami doesn’t like Tonraq or anything. Actually, Chief Tonraq is one of the grown-ups in her life that she really looks up to, and it’s obvious he loves his daughter more than anything else in the world. Unconditional love from a father is something Asami will always admire – and covet. But he’s massive man with a massive heart, which makes it difficult for Asami to physically offer her full support and care while Korra heals. It’s even more difficult to be there for her, emotionally. Asami hovers uselessly around the bed while Tonraq is hunched over in the chair next to his daughter, fixing her pillow and kissing her forehead and bringing water to her parched lips in tiny spoonfuls. He opens the bedside window when little beads of sweat dot the skin above Korra’s lips, and pulls the covers under Korra’s chin at the slightest tremble of her shoulders.

 _Where were you when Amon and the Equalists scared Korra to death? Were you there when Tarrlok took Korra captive? Were you in Republic City, being her companion while Korra dealt with cruel criticisms from hundreds of people at once? What could have possibly possessed you to let the White Lotus keep Korra locked up – friendless and deprived of cultural exposure – in a compound so they can train her in a “safe environment”?_ It’s not fair and it’s mean, but Asami can’t help but think daggers in Tonraq’s direction.

A little corner of her mind tells her that maybe she’s so harsh toward him because she feels like she’s been inadequate, herself ( _Why did you let the Earth Queen’s forces capture Korra, in the first place? You should have seen that coming! Why couldn’t you have just scaled the mountainside with the others to be there for Korra in case Zaheer tried to go back on the deal?_ Why _did you not follow her_ immediately _? Why, why,_ why _?_ ).

Tenzin and the kids stop by for a while – they always made Korra smile, and it hurts Asami’s heart to think that if Korra was conscious, she’d throw Ikki and Meelo around in mini-cyclones and let them tickle her as payback. Kya spends some hours trying to heal Korra, sometimes with Suyin. Bolin and Opal hold hands, now, and bring meals and flowers in pretty metal vases three times a day (“Bolin, it’s starting to smell like a perfume shop in here, bro. I think I’m getting a headache.” “Mako, they are _panda lilies_. They only grow in volcanic soil –Bolin soil! – _and_ they represent the most sincere of sincere loooooovvvveee – wow! My girlfriend’s so awesome, I think she broke my rib with her elbow!”). Mako and Bolin’s cousin from Ba Sing Se drops in to ask if he can do anything to help the Avatar. Even Lin comes by to solemnly watch Korra, arms crossed stiffly, but eyes soft.

Around nightfall, after the entire day, Mako finally gets up and quietly sulks his way to his room, leaving just Asami with Korra and her father.

Asami might have grown up sleeping in a bed fit for royalty, but she’s nothing if not adaptable (or stubborn?). She curls up on that bench and wakes up with a soft blue poncho-jacket-thing ( _definitely_ Water Tribe’s all too practical mal-fashion) draped over her middle. She smiles drowsily and moves to thank Tonraq, but the words sour before they reach her mouth as she hears Korra’s troubled whimpering and Tonraq’s constant mantra: “I’m here, Korra, Dad’s right here.”

* *

That day the Red Lotus was defeated, Suyin had insisted that they move to Korra to Zaofu for immediate healing.

Tenzin had looked hopefully at Lin, probably expecting her to pull the usual, “No way, I’m putting the Avatar where I can keep some eyes on her, and that’s final!” But, no such luck. The poison had, after all, been metal – where better to heal than with the Metal Clan?

Besides, after having made up with Su, Lin fondly dotes on her baby sister and grudgingly agrees to all her requests like some kind of stoic, but charmed father spoiling his enchanting daughter. To anyone who’s only seen Lin Bei Fong, Republic City’s Chief of Police and Grouchy Spinster Extraordinaire, it’s a little adorable. Mako mutters to himself that it’s “so _weird_ ”.

It’s been three long, tiring days since they came to Zaofu, and everyone is excited about moving the Avatar back to Republic City the next morning. Zaofu is beautiful – a real testament to the limitless capabilities of humankind – the Metal Clan is hospitable, and Su’s chef is particularly fantastic, but everyone just really wants to go home.

It turns out that while Asami can easily adapt to sleeping on a hard, metal bench, she can’t ever get used to the feeling that she’s a useless, jealous lump when _the most important person in her life_ (goodness, _when_ , exactly, did Korra start meaning _so much_ to Asami?) has been unconscious for the past few days. So Asami takes to bringing her designing notebooks and a cup of oolong tea into Korra’s room, so that even if she can’t hold Korra’s hand and tell her she’s there for her, she can at least design a two-passenger airship for emergency situations where a certain Avatar needs to be evacuated in secret with no one but her trusty engineer-companion.

She takes walks to the kitchen every now and then, taking advantage of the awesome food. She talks to Su’s chef-turned-pirate, and to Mako and Bolin’s relatives from Ba Sing Se, who really like Zaofu and are enjoying their new home in the city’s downtown. A lot of the younger ones come up to the estate every day to take metalbending lessons from Su’s twin sons and to play Dodge the Ball of Lava with Bolin. She talks to Su’s husband and son, the ones redesigning the rail system, and proactively makes it a point to avoid Varrick. Downtown, there’s a cosmetics store with _meteor_ minerals makeup and the most fabulous studded nail polish. Asami wins the heart of the owners of the store by asking them if they’d be interested going full-scale, arranging for a contract with Future Industries. Asami can see it right now: the Sato-polish.

All in all, she’s really charmed with Zaofu and its people.

But Asami can’t stop herself from thinking about how she wants to meet all of them _with_ Korra by her side.

* *

The night before they go back home, Asami wanders listlessly around the courtyard of Su’s estate. She spots Mako, stuffy and detective-like, staring at his shoe as if trying to figure out its motive for daring to sit over his foot like that.

Asami can tell that taking a life was something Mako was getting used to, even if he’d taken out a terrorist waterbender who wouldn’t have hesitated to slice him to a million bits. The gravity of having killed someone had only sunk in until after he’d made sure Korra was safe – the double-as-usual, man-pain brooding sessions had begun that first night after defeating the Red Lotus (and occur at least twice as frequently as before). He sort of stares at his hands a lot, as if contemplating just how _easy_ it is to kill, how fragile a human life is.

Asami wants to go comfort him. But she thinks of the awkward way he tries to distance himself from _emotions_ by slinking into his uniform and out of Air Temple Island, while still trying to show everyone that he’s there for them. And it’s just not as funny as it was, before. It kind of makes Asami angry. Mako has been through too much, brushed close enough to death too many times, to still worry so much about “looking weak”. He doesn’t realize that it’s not fair to the people who care about him. It’s not fair to Asami or Tenzin’s family or Bolin – _especially_ Bolin. It’s a good thing Bolin is the count-your-blessings-every-minute type of guy.

And maybe it’s not so fair of Asami to judge Mako so harshly, since he had to grow up and toughen up at a very young age and practically raise Bolin on his own. Anyway, it’s probably too soon right now for him to start talking about having killed Ming-Hua. But Asami’s been through a lot, too. Mako has a way of unconsciously making Asami feel like a pretty little prop ever since they’d broken up, and she _so_ does not need that anymore. She’s done frustrating herself trying to reach out to him. He only opens up to Korra without being prompted, and that’s only because he trusts Korra on a completely different level. That won’t ever change, and Asami doesn’t want to spend any time thinking about how she feels about it.

She just knows that Mako doesn’t fully appreciate the emotional support available to him, and helping him realize that is not something Asami is going to pursue any further than she already has. She has Korra and Future Industries a million other things to worry about.

Asami turns on her heel and heads over to the kitchen. She’ll get some leftover coconut crème with guava and lychee jelly (if she hadn’t filled up her tummy with so much of that wonderful stew, there would be no leftover dessert) before returning to Korra (and her secret fantasies about traveling the world with her).

* *

Asami runs into Mako’s grandmother on the way from the kitchen. It turns out that she’s kind of an insomniac who enjoys being an insomniac. She’s positively buzzing with excitement at three in the morning, chatting with security guards and discovering that she enjoys exploring a place outside of Ba Sing Se.

“I’d expect a beauty like you needs her beauty sleep!” she greets.

Asami blushes deeply. “Umm…I can’t really sleep these days, you know. Korra’s really sick and all.”

“You care a lot for the Avatar.”

“I guess. I wish I could do more.”

“I know that feeling,” she says, suddenly crestfallen. Asami feels the urge to bundle the woman up in a blanket, bring her a cup of jasmine tea, and ask her about her beaus from back in her day. “My son and his wife died over fourteen years ago, and I _never_ knew. I never even _knew_.”

This time, Asami acts on her impulse and wraps an arm around her shoulders. “I’m so sorry.”

“No, no, _I_ am. Those boys struggled and struggled and…” she heaves out a great sob and turns her face into Asami’s side. Asami guides her so they’re both sitting next to a fountain. She adjusts the red scarf Mako always wore around his neck, and thinks of how generous it was of him to give her something so precious to him. Mako really is a good boy, underneath layers (and layers) of feigned apathy.

“Hey, they’re strong –”

“I know they are, but can you imagine how alone they must have felt?” She’s half-choking, half-wailing. The mean little side of Asami wishes she’d walked through the estate, instead of taking the shortcut through the courtyard and running into Grandma. Grandma presses her face into Asami’s blazer, like it will help squish all the guilt from her mind, out of her ears and out of sight. “So young and so alone….I can’t even think…they must have thought there was no one for them! And there we were, almost _thirty_ of us in Ba Sing Se, without a clue! What were we sitting there for, hundreds of miles away, when those boys were in the street, cold and hungry, by themselves?”

It can’t be healthy for someone this age to be straining herself this much. “I—”

“I’ve been such a fool! I sat in that house all my life and, I bullied my family to sit around with me! Just because I was so convinced that the best thing to do was to sit in that house because my mother had sat in that house, and…and now I’m here, and I’ve met so _many_ wonderful people…oh!”

Asami feels the side of her jacket getting damp, and she pulls her in close, not knowing how else to comfort her. Asami shouldn’t judge, but to her, it does really seem stupid of the old woman. If she hadn’t heard from her son, why didn’t she just go to Republic City? Or send her other son there, instead of sitting around at home all day? It wouldn’t have been hard to find them, after having reached Republic City. They could have at least called the Republic City police, or done _something._ There _must_ have been something they could do, right?

…Right? Well, the Earth Queen was so controlling, they didn’t exactly have freedom of the press in Ba Sing Se. They were also really poor…Asami’s not so sure anymore. She’s not sure of many things, these days.

She can only think of ways to move forward from the tragedy, which has her thinking about Mako.

All his life, he’d been so obsessed with taking care of Bolin, and then Asami, and then Korra. Maybe Asami has no more time and patience to worry about him taking care of himself, but…that doesn’t mean he still doesn’t need help. That doesn’t mean he doesn’t deserve to be cared for.

“Have you considered that…maybe he still needs you? Mako, I mean.”

“He’s a grown young man, I couldn’t possibly impose after all those years, estranged, and—”

“Look, _please_ , don’t take this the wrong way. But I know Mako. He’s so hard-wired to worrying about taking care of the people closest to him from a young age. He gets really caught up in acting grown up and level-headed that he can be an insufferable _jerk_ to anyone who tries to get close with him. And you…you regret that you haven’t been there for him.

“And I think…he needs you. He needs you to be a parent-figure to whip him into shape every now and then. Mostly, he needs you to get him to talk and then listen to him. I think it will do both of you a lot of good if you come back to Republic City with us.”

Sobs still shudder through her body, but Grandma seems to be thinking it over in as much silence as she can manage.

It’s after a few minutes, when Grandma says nothing, Asami tries again, this time with a soft voice. “Maybe that’s a huge step, I don’t know. Everyone’s different. I’ve sort of always liked quick changes. But if you go around to the courtyard with the big crater in the middle, you’ll see a pouty boy who doesn’t know how to tell anyone how he feels about having taken a life. I think you should talk to him, ask him to call Grandma over whenever he needs you.”

“I should, shouldn’t I?” she asks, slowly.

“I think so.”

“After all, Mako is still my grandson, and I’m still here.”

“And if you need some incentive to come to Republic City: Bolin has his own apartment, and it’s pretty sweet – I think you’ll really like the hot tub.”

Grandma actually chuckles a little, but she looks off into the distance. “Oh, my.”

Nothing fills the air except distant chatter and Grandma’s sniffling sounds. She hesitantly asks: “Don’t…don’t they live together?”

“Mako and Bolin? Oh, well…they kind of live everywhere these days. Mako pretty much lives at work, actually. I don’t really know if he’s still holding onto that apartment he was renting a couple of months ago?” Asami realizes this with a small shock. It’s not so much surprise at herself for neglecting to know, as it is surprise at both her and Mako, and how they just don’t bother keeping each other informed about things, these days. “Bolin is in between Air Temple Island and the apartment. He sort of got that apartment when he was a mover star and he suddenly had all this money to spend. I’m sure he’ll gladly let his Grandma hog the hot tub if she wants,” she adds, hoping to get another laugh out of the woman.

She succeeds. “Oh, Asami. You’re such a nice girl, I don’t understand how Mako isn’t smitten with you.”

Asami throws her head back in laughter, startling one of the guards. It’s the first time she’s laughed since before Korra turned herself in to Zaheer. She’s been tipsy a few times – her father’s holiday parties used to get really annoying, and there was always booze and the abandoned workshop to slip away to – and it’s exactly how she feels, right now.

And then they both laugh, and Asami is glad she came around this way. It always had felt good to help people feel better.

They quiet down and stare at the stars after some happy tears run down both their cheeks. “I should…get back. To Korra.”

“Oh, dear. I’m sorry to have –”

“ _Not_ a big deal.” Asami puts a hand on her shoulder. “I just hope I made you feel better. And I hope I convinced you to come to Republic City.”

“I’m ready to go where my family needs me to be. I made it this long outside of Ba Sing Se!” She makes a gesture, as if to say, ‘look at me, I’m still alive!’ “But I’ll have to ask him, first.”

Asami smiles and nods. “Of course.”

“Thank you, beautiful girl.” Asami wraps an arm around her head and pulls her in close. Her heart hasn’t felt this warm in days.

* *

It’s sunrise before Asami starts to get sleepy, which sucks; they’re taking Korra to Air Temple Island today. She closes her notebook, stands up and stretches.

Generally, Tonraq is in the room all day, aside from showering and bathroom breaks. Asami is the next most constant presence in the room, leaving now and then for air and new perspective and good food. Mako is a close third; he spends most of his waking hours there…but not _there_.

The three of them…Korra is the most important person to all three of them, Asami supposes. They silently spill out all their tension and worry into the room until it suffocates them – but they find an odd comfort in being there, suffocating, but close to Korra, close to people who understand how just how infinitely _important_ Korra is to them, personally. To Asami, at least, it feels like a sort of camaraderie between the three of them. After the brief wave of the absurd green-eye syndrome, Asami finds that it’s simply _good_ for Korra to have a father like Tonraq and a friend like Mako.

Between Tonraq’s silent devotion, Asami’s alternating between doodling and staring at Korra, and Mako’s brooding, they don’t really talk much, outside of “wow, it’s really warm in here” or “should I get some more towels for her” and “hey, I’m going to step out to the bathroom”. They even avoid making any eye contact with each other.

So, when she hears Tonraq’s deep, rumbly voice speak her name, Asami is reasonably shocked.

Tonraq actually chuckles when she jumps. “Whoa, there. Didn’t mean to scare you like that.”

Asami clears her throat. “That’s – ahem! – that’s okay, don’t worry about it.”

Tonraq closes his eyes and takes a deep breath. She notices Korra’s hand, completely enveloped in her father’s huge one. When he opens his eyes, he fixes his unnerving stare on Asami. “I was thinking of going to bring Korra’s mother. It’s way too far to radio her, and I think she really needs to know and be here right now.”

He lets that sink in for a few moments, and it’s a good thing he does. _Does this – does this mean – is he –_

“I didn’t mean to make such a sudden decision,” Tonraq says, softly, “but given the circumstances… I think it’s best if Senna was here.”

Asami nods. “Are…are you leaving today?”

“I was thinking it would be best to just leave today, yes. So we can come back when Korra’s been situated in Republic City.”

“But…we’re taking Korra home today. That airship is my pride and joy, but she’s not impervious to attacks. Can’t you come with us to Republic City, and then go to the South Pole?” Tonraq narrows his eyes at her, and Asami rushes to find more things to say. “I just feel like Korra’s extra vulnerable during travel, especially…now. I think she needs all the protection she can get on the way back.”

Tonraq looks away for a moment, and she’s afraid she’s made him feel like an inadequate father, or something. Which, inside of her jealously-poisoned mind, was the main topic for most of Sunday night. But she’s grown to care for the man, and she doesn’t want to say anything to make him feel like crap.

But when Tonraq turns back to face her, he’s smiling, and there’s a twinkle in his eye. For a second, it reminds her of Korra’s smile. “You’re right.” He closes his eyes and blows out a great sigh, and shoves his eyeballs back into his head with the heels of both palms. “I…you know, Senna and I used to see her maybe…once a month or so. Back when they’d train Korra, and we’d miss her terribly. I had my own regrets about throwing the world out of balance, when I was young – don’t worry!” he says, at Asami’s wary expression, “my evil brother set me up. But I didn’t know at the time. And I didn’t think it was in my place to deny the White Lotus their demands to keep Korra secure, locked up in that compound. I’d never felt so irresponsible and confused, until we’d heard about Zaheer and P’li and the others and quickly apprehended them. That was my one task, my own, lousy two cents I’d given to protect Korra, and to think I failed—”

“You _didn’t_ fail.” Asami puts a hand on his massive one, the one holding Korra’s hand. “Zaheer got his powers by a stroke of luck, and there was nothing anyone could have done to stop that!”

“I know,” He quietly admits. “But I start thinking about all the other ways I’ve failed her. You know, she really had no friends besides her mother, the sentries, and myself.” He pauses for a second. “And Katara. She’d talk about Katara all the time.”

“And Naga,” Asami says, “She loves Naga.”

Tonraq exhales loudly and hums in agreement. His face and tone turn abruptly grim. “How could we do that to her? Raise her to be nothing but the Avatar, the master of four elements, the only one with power to make any decisions about the Spirits, the one who brings balance to the world? How _could_ I…” he trails off, rubbing at his face wearily.

Asami thinks about what she’s going to say carefully. “Tonraq, you’re feeling really guilty about this whole Zaheer situation. And honestly, I don’t know what to say.

“Korra has us, now. Tenzin, and Lin, and Mako, Bolin and me. And the new Air Nation. And I promise _I_ will take care of her.  Korra is…” Asami pauses to debate in her mind whether or not to say the next thing she’s thinking, but her mouth works too quickly to give her a chance to mull it over. “She’s so important to me, Tonraq,” she blurts.

He looks up, slowly. If the way his eyes twinkle when he gives a little smile is any indication of having guessed what exactly she means, he knows more than her. Asami has come to terms with her deep feelings for Korra, but even she has no clue what those _deep feelings_ are, exactly. Is it natural to want to spend all your time just holding your “best friend’s” hand?

“And I am so glad she has you. You’ve gotten her out of more than a few tough spots. You’re practically family, Asami.”

Asami feels a little fire start in her heart, and then the warmth radiates all the way to her fingertips and to her toes. There’s a deeper sense of relief that Asami can’t quite put a finger on – it’s like some kind of calmness of the mind at being _accepted_.

She puts her hand on Tonraq’s, the huge one Korra’s hand is nestled in, and gives it a little squeeze.  “Thank you, Tonraq. You know, the whole world got really lucky to have an Avatar like Korra in it, and I know I’m really lucky to have her for a friend. But Korra’s really lucky to have you for a father.”

Tonraq nods after a few moments and mutters a “thank you” quietly, but frowns down where the three of their hands are joined, as if he disagrees.

**

Later that morning, she’s loading the cargo into the airship by herself, after politely shooing Wei and Wing away – while she’s seen their great skill in action, it makes her nervous when they metalbend the doors to the cargo section on her baby. Tonraq approaches with Mako, both of them wheeling Korra in a plain old stretcher, and Asami immediately decides she’s going to make some Sato-style modifications to it.

“Give us a hand, Asami? I want to thank Suyin and Kuvira one last time,” Tonraq calls up.

“Sure!”

She jumps over the railing and onto the metal platform with a loud _klang!_ , and her knees sting from the jolt as she runs over to them.

Asami and Mako wordlessly maneuver the stretcher up the ramp and into the main bay, but every now and then, like some kind of paranoid parents, one of them will try to adjust Korra’s pigtails and limbs so they don’t fall off the side of stretcher during the movement. Once, Mako’s hand grazes over hers as they both try and reach for a lock of Korra’s hair. Mako immediately pulls back, but Asami’s sick of the unproductive lack of that… _pleasantness_ they used to practice around one another.

“It’s not fair, huh?” Asami says, and Mako freezes to look up at her, his glowing eyes wide and angled eyebrows comically raised. She gives him a sad smile. “Even when she wins, she can’t have some peace and quiet.”

Mako remains in his deer-caught-in-lights posture for just a minute before his shoulders slump and his eyes narrow.

“Yeah. Yeah, I know.”

Silence. Well, she tried.

“Alright. Let’s get her into the cabin. It's the first one in that-”

It’s nothing but sheer surprise that causes Asami to flinch away from the hand he puts on her elbow. It’s been months since they’ve stopped exchanging casual touches. Mako’s cheeks are like two tomatoes, but she feels no overpowering urge to comfort him.

“Asami, I…” He blows out a huge sigh and props his forehead on his hand.  “I just…I want to say – to _thank_ you for talking to my grandma. And you’ve been the most patient and…and caring friend. I don’t deserve it.”

She’s still frustrated-amused with the way he’s staring at the spot where his forearms cross over his chest, trying to avoid looking at her. But she’s still touched, and today’s not a day for giving up chances to change things. In fact, she feels that this is a day for a fresh start. Like it was for her and Tonraq. She decides to take pity on him.

“No, you probably don’t,” she says, poking his arm, and those golden eyes bug out of his head. “Now, grab the other end so we can get poor Korra in her cabin, dork.”

He still looks shocked, but his eyes are brighter, and he’s smiling a tiny smile as he shakes his head.

With the help of Jinora, Ikki, and Meelo, the Avatar gets safely airbended through the narrow door and tucked into the bed that’s nailed to the floor.

**

That night, Asami peeks in through the door of Korra’s cabin. There’s a little light from a lantern; Tonraq is reading the evening paper from Zaofu. He looks up at her and waves her in, and Asami smiles and takes the seat next to where Korra’s head rests. Asami reaches out to brush away a lock of her hair from her forehead, but gets caught up in the lovely texture of Korra’s hair – it’s thick and strong and feels like silk.

She’s halfway into braiding Korra's bangs when Tonraq gets up and stretches. “You want to sit beside her, tonight? I’d feel more comfortable if I was on guard with Lin and the others.”

She nods her head furiously, then tries to be nonchalant about it after realizing she must look like the King Bumi bobble-head toy her father once got her from when he went on a business trip in Omashu.

“Alright. Call me if she needs anything. Or if you need anything,” he adds, pointedly. He closes the door behind himself.

When the short bangs of Korra’s hair is all braided, Asami pulls a clip from her own hair and pins the tiny braids behind Korra’s ear.

She brushes her hand across Korra's cheek, then leans down and whispers, “Come back to us soon, Korra.”

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading, and comments are appreciated!


End file.
